The Shinnecock Indian Nation received a preliminary ruling granting federal recognition to the indigenous East End tribe on Tuesday afternoon…

If the preliminary ruling is followed by another favorable ruling after the comment period, the Shinnecock Indian Nation would be immediately eligible for benefits, but that would only be the first step to opening a gaming facility, Mr. Bishop said. “The gaming process itself is a three-step process,” he said. The first step is federal recognition; after that, the tribe would have to identify the land they want to use to open a facility and once again apply to the BIA to take that land into trust. The third step, which he said can run concurrently with the application to the BIA, is to enter into discussions with the governor and State Legislature to outline the terms and conditions of what could take place in the facility, and what the state would share in terms of tax revenue.